Title Recommendations based on Tatsuhiro Sato

School Days

A rumor is going around that if you take a photo of someone you like with your cellphone and keep it hidden, they'll fall for you. Will Makoto win his love by taking a picture of Kotonoha without anyone knowing?

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Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Following the manga of the same name,?Sayonara, Zetsubo-Sensei?is an odd, off-beat comedy of the darkest type. With surreal animation and a black sense of humor, it follows the adventures of a suicidal schoolteacher and his mentally unstable students, each a caricature of a topical Japanese social issue. While its dark subject matter may not be for everyone,?Zetsubo's?idiosyncratic style and tone are sure to win over viewers looking for something dark and different.

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Monster

Based on the critically acclaimed manga by Naoki Urasawa, Monster revolves around a central theme: how is evil created and spread? Following the adventures of doctor Kenzo Tenma as he tracks elusive serial killer Johan Liebert, Monster strives to explore the themes of evil and redemption in all their dimensions. Monster is a weighty but thoroughly enjoyable tale for those who enjoy media with philosophical meat.

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Grave of the Fireflies

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

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Rose of Versailles

Rose of Versailles is set in France on the brink of upheaval. Poverty racks the streets, the peasants are grossly overtaxed, and the nobles are indifferent. Princess Marie Antoinette has just arrived in Paris, and Oscar Jarjayes's job is to protect her. Born a female but raised as a male because her parents wanted a boy, Oscar is uniquely suited to care for the Princess.

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WATAMOTE

At the tender age of 15, Kuroki Tomoko has already dated dozens and dozens of boys and she's easily the most popular girl around! The only problem is that absolutely none of that is real, and her perfect world exists only via dating games and romance shows. In fact, the sad truth is that she gets tongue tied just talking to people, and throughout middle school she's only had one actual friend. All of which makes Kuroki's entrance into the social pressure cooker of high school a new and special kind of hell. Because while Kuroki desperately wants to be popular, she's actually worse off than she would be if she was completely clueless as to how to go about it. After all, the things that work in "otome" games rarely play out the same way in reality, especially when the self-appointed "leading lady" isn't the paragon she thinks she is. There's not much gain and plenty of pain ahead, but even if it happens again and again, there's always someone else to blame!

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Great Teacher Onizuka

Onizuka is an ex-biker and gang leader who has one goal: to become the greatest teacher. He learns of the power and respect possible as an intern teacher, using his strength and connections to get his students to respect him. Now, graduated, he gets a job at a prestigious private school to handle their 'problem class' that made the past few teachers quit. He must handle a different sort of trouble when the trouble makers include some of the smartest kids in Japan who prefer a more cerebral approach to torturing their teacher. Onizuka must slowly win his students over and deal with their mistrust of teachers while handling the distrust of his fellow teachers.

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Monogatari

Thanks to Meme Oshino, Koyomi Araragi, a high school student, is able to remain a human after coming across a female vampire.. However, since the incident, Koyomi seems to meet girls who have an apparition-related issue. Hitagi Senjyogahara doesn't weigh anything, Suruga Kanbaru's right arm becomes like that of a monkey's, and a young girl, Mayoi, cannot find her way home no matter how many times she tries. Koyomi, a Mr. Nice Guy, ends up helping each and every girl solve her problem with the help of Meme Oshino.

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Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain focuses on Lain Iwakura, an adolescent girl living in suburban Japan, and her introduction to the Wired, a global communications network similar to the Internet. Lain lives with her middle-class family, which consists of her inexpressive older sister Mika, her cold mother, and her computer-obsessed father. The first ripple on the pond of Lain's lonely life appears when she learns that girls from her school have received an e-mail from Chisa Yomoda, a schoolmate who had committed suicide. When Lain receives the message at home, Chisa tells her that she is not dead, but has merely "abandoned her physical body and flesh", and is alive deep within the virtual reality-world of the Wired itself and that she has found the almighty and divine god there. From then on, Lain is bound to a path which will take her ever deeper into both the network and her own subconscious thoughts and sensations.

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Afro Samurai

In a futuristic yet feudal Japan, it is said that the one who wields the Number 1 headband is the fiercest fighter in the world and shall possess god-like powers. The only way to obtain the Number 1 headband is to challenge the current wearer of the headband and defeat him in combat. However, only the Number 2 can challenge the Number 1 while anyone can challenge the Number 2 which causes a constant struggle for the Number 2 headband. Now an adult, Afro is the current No. 2 and a master swordsman who travels Japan trying to make his way to the mountain-top keep where Justice awaits. As he makes his way to Justice, he recalls his journey from a frightened young boy to a master samurai.

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FLCL

FLCL follows Naota Nandaba, who lives in a small, dusty Japanese town where "nothing amazing happens" and "everything is ordinary." Ordinary, that is, until the day self-proclaimed alien Haruko Haruhara rides in on her Vespa and hits Naota with her guitar. From there on, things only get stranger, and the giant robots spouting from his forehead soon become the least of Naota's worries.

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Samurai Champloo

Mugen is a ferocious, animalistic warrior with a fighting style inspired by break-dancing. Jin is a ronin samurai who wanders the countryside alone. They may not be friends, but their paths continually cross. And when ditzy waitress Fuu gets them out of hot water with the local magistrate, they agree to join her search for the samurai who smells like sunflowers.

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Black Lagoon

Aboard their World War II era torpedo boat, the Black Lagoon, Dutch the Boss, Benny the Mechanic, Revy Two Hand, and Rock, the salary-man from Japan, deliver anything, anywhere. In the dangerous underworld of the Russian Mafia, Chinese Triads, Colombian drug cartels, crazed assassins, and ruthless mercenaries, it's hard to know who to trust. But if you've got a delivery to make, and you don't mind a little property damage along the way, you can count on the crew of the Black Lagoon!

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Revelations: Persona

Revelations: Persona focuses on a group of high school students as they are confronted by a series of supernatural incidents. After playing a fortune-telling game, the group each gain the ability to summon Personas, the multiple selves within them. Using this power under the guidance of Philemon, a benevolent being representing humanity's subconscious, the group face off against multiple forces that threaten the world. Gameplay revolves around the characters navigating environments around their town and fighting enemies using their Personas. During the course of the game, the player can create new Personae for battle using spell cards gained in battle or by talking with enemies.

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Higurashi When They Cry

After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem. Based on the amateur mystery game by 07th Expansion, the story is told in a series of different scenarios.

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